How to improve gameplay experience... IMO

[Cheostian 2]

Challenge & or Player interaction

 

Those two things are what makes video games good.  Think of the games that have done the best long term, they likely had both.  That being said, you also require some variance to keep the game from becoming stale over time and something interesting in the concept of the game.. usually.

 

So let's look at dayz as of now and here are my suggestions on improvement to reach the above.

 

 

1/ Create hotspots in the game:   This has been done somewhat with the military area's but I think it needs to be focused even more.  Make it so certain types of highly sought after equipment is only spawning in one or two area's on the map.  However, make it so you cannot get ALL the best gear in the same area.  So, let's say everyone wants a high capacity vest ideally.  Then have them only spawn in the southwest area of the map in certain types of military bases.  yet maybe an ak 101 or whatever else is highly desirable only spawns around the north east corner of the map.  This draws players to specific locations on the map, but also pressures them somewhat to move around the map at the same time.  Both should create greater player interaction.

 

2/ Make food and ammo hard to find but not impossible:  The food part in particular is very challenging, You don't want what it was on experimental yesterday, which is apple simulator because there was no food at all to be found, however, you also don't want it where you walk into 4 or 5 buildings and the food issue is no longer part of the game challenge.  I would suggest reducing the number of apple trees and increasing the number of animals that can be hunted.  Animal hunting is very challenging currently, yet not impossible.  However, I think additional options for rope need to be added.  Perhaps variable types of options for bow strings that can only be used for 4 or 5 shots and they snap.  Also, another option for digging for worms without needing a shovel, hoe, or ice pick?  In our world I could easily find earth worms just by flooding an area with water just before dusk... they come to the surface and you can pick them up.  Maybe in the game  pour water from a full container onto a dirt area and wait a moment then you can find a worm?  This way your not commiting a massive amount of loot space, or your melee weapon slot in order to be able to find worms.

 

The point is that hunting and fishing to get your food requires a lot of steps through the food prep etc, it takes time and is challenging.  It also feels rewarding once you finally see the finished product of the cooked steak.  However, I think the reward from it should be higher.  A big steak should just about fill you up, regardless of how hungry you were.  Two steaks should put you to stuffed status, or nearly so even if your dying of hunger.

 

3/ Make backpacks harder to find, but increase the frequency of boars on the map or allow other leathers to be used for backpacks:  This goes with the challenge thing again.  If you don't have a backpack, you've got some real tough decisions to make on what you carry.  Making a backpack is challenging yet also rewarding. 

 

Let me side track to tell a story... I played yesterday and was not able to find a single item of loot to increase my carrying capacity more then my four slots on my starting pants.  Couldn't even find a sweater or anything.  It was super challenging, and a very rewarding gaming experience I enjoyed.  I was lucky enough to find some animal remains, which included large animal guts and some bones.  No food, but those guts were a massive score.  I was able to use my stone knife to cut an ashwood branch, make a bow.  Find some feathers and sticks, along with the bone to make bone tipped arrows.  And proceeded to hunt down two more goats with it.

another ashwood stick and some bark and sticks allowed me to get a fire going and roast the meat on the stick end (experimental build at this point).  I felt so satisfied with the game when I finally went to eat that cooked meat.  Then super dissatisfied when I was still hungry after... (I had limited slots so could only take 1 of the steak's with me)

 

4/ Allow locked stashes that only that player can access or allow camo stashes that are hard to find:  Ensure they are persistant and loot does not dissappear from them.  I think something simple like this would help to develop a "home of operations" that you can feel you can call your own and go back to.  It also would encourage players to work together on a base of operations I think.  Back when I played a few of the modded versions of Dayz Mod, this was the best part of the experience.  And I often preferred to team up with other players for a "base" because of it, and it increased my player interaction as a result.

 

5/ This is just a personal gripe of mine.  I really like the fact I can use parts to assemble a bow.  However, why can I not unstring the bow after? in order to pack it away in a backpack, recover the rope, or whatever.  Not to mention, I should be able to also unstring a fishing rod.  This is the same for makeshift backpacks.  I can unassemble them, yet my rope magically dissappears that was all tangled around it moments before...  Now both of these things actually take away from game challenge, however, they also kinda don't make sense.  My only concern is if you use guts to create a backpack and then break it down and end up with rope it doesn't work out.  You may need multiple's of the same backpack but some say rope and burlap, or guts and burlap etc, so the game knows what to return.

Edited May 17, 2015 by Cheostian

[EddyBalboa 6]

Good old days in Epoch when we ride a Hummer  as 3 bandits with 50 cal gun mounted on it and doing all missions.. yeahh...At the end of our Epoch playing we have like 50 gold cases (admin create an event when you must find and open Safe with 64 cases in it, i just went on mozzy, others team just go throu that point on in a misdirection. But still old vanilla Dayz Mod provide more solide experience just like you saying - the only two places are was real to get good Sniper rifles and nvgs  - is a Stary sobor and NWAF. Current military bases in SA not good as old ones.

[plexico 386]

There are definitely too many high loot spots spread around the map which makes it a lot easier to get good loot.